No Exit and Three Other Plays
An enjoyable & easy way to get into Sartre's Existentialism. "No Exit":3 people locked in a hotel room forever;Hell as other people:the last lines indicate how we can survive. "The Flies": The Electra story reformed; one can revolt against Fate and choose ones Destiny. "Dirty Hands":a free-thinker tries to find his own answer to the conflicts and pressures of others who have him caught up in their own political/moral/ethical prejudices;what price to stand alone? "The Respectful Prostitute": Power, racism and manipulation in 1950's Deep South USA;a naive/courageous prostitue escapes problems in New York to find herself at the centre of local racial bigotry and state encouraged murder;her decision could save or destroy all of those involved.

the book is in decent condition it does look very worn on the cover but the text is very clean

Legendary French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre invites his readers to truly get in touch with what it means to be alive in this world. With the famous phrase "Hell is other people," Sartre is able to encapsulate the vast extent of social anxieties that necessarily exist among all people. Readers beware, if you're not ready to learn about the true depths of human self-perception, then do not open this book.

Estelle, Inez and Garcin expected to face all manner of torture in hell, but never expected hell to be a regular room, where these three extremely different people are bound together for eternity. During the time in which the characters explore the possibility of coexisting together, shocking confessions about the reasons that lead these characters to their death and subsequently to hell are revealed.

Inez, who is a homosexual woman, is the only character that is strong enough to practice her choice even after death. Inez finds her self stuck in an after life with a man she despises, and a woman who doesn't reciprocate her desire.

Estelle, a delusional superficial woman who interestingly can't blink, requires the presence of a man to validate her femininity or existence. Estelle is stuck between a man that she can't have, while Inez is watching, and a woman that she doesn't like.

Garcin, an immoral villain who cheated on his wife and mistreated her, needs his being and mistakes validated. Garcin is stuck between the lying selfish Estell and the honest opinionated Inez who has no interest in him. Garcin is the only character who gets a chance to leave the room but can't make a free choice to do so. He arrives at the famous conclusion:" Hell is other people".

This great story was obviously intended for a live audience. In addition to each character watching the other characters, each being watched by God, every body is being watched by the audience. Sartre cleverly used the awkward feeling of being watched all the time to enhance his story. He probably wanted to create an analogy between this room and the fact of living in Paris under German occupation during Second World War.

Please don't stop at "no exit". "The Flies", and "Dirty Hands" are great material that simply didn't get the same fame as "No Exit".

This book is a wonderful collection of plays written by the brilliant intellect of Sartre. It is an essential reading for the philosopher at heart.